NETBALL – THE stage is set for Bahrain’s exciting 2025-26 netball season.
Rebranded as the Bahrain Netball Champions League (BNCL), action is scheduled to get underway on Tuesday next week featuring 20 teams representing Bahrain Rugby Football Club, The British Club, Dilmun Club, Top Shots, and Nadeen Netball Academy, which is a brand-new squad that will be part of the league’s line-up for the first time.
The draw for the BNCL’s preliminary round was held virtually by league officials. Pool A features Dilmun Club Dunes, Top Shots Slammers, British Club Apex, Rugby Club Panthers, and Dilmun Club Springs. Pool B is composed of Rugby Club Tigers, Dilmun Club Seals, Rugby Club Lions, Rugby Club Wildcats, and British Club RCSI. Pool C includes Top Shots Shakers, Nadeen Netball Academy Wolves, Dilmun Club Flames, Rugby Club Jaguars, and Dilmun Club Palms. Pool D comprises Rugby Club Leopards, Nedeen Netball Academy Alphas, Top Shots Shooters, Nadeen Netball Academy Omegas, and Rugby Club Pumas.
The BNCL is the first of two parts in the 2025-26 season campaign. This opening phase continues until December. Following the preliminaries, the participating squads will be divided into the cup, bowl, shield, and plate.
The second part of the season then begins in January of 2026. It will split the clubs into two tiers – the Superleague and the Bahrain Netball League (BNL). The Superleague will boast the leading teams from each club, while the BNL will consist of the remaining sides.
Prior to the new season’s start, a Think Pink Netball Tournament will be played on Friday as the kick-off event for the 2025-26 campaign. It will take place at the British Club in Adliya, and it will help raise funds that will be donated to Bahrain Breast Cancer Society.
Aside from the kingdom’s tournament, Bahrain’s netball national team, nicknamed the Bahrain Pearls, will be competing in the Gulf Premier Netball League, which will be bringing together some of the top outfits from across the region.
There are six teams in all coming from Bahrain, the UAE, and Qatar, including the Pearls, Evolution Sports Qatar, the Dubai Hurricanes A and B squads, the Dubai Sharks, and Capital Netball from Abu Dhabi.
The Pearls open their tournament bid with two games in Abu Dhabi on Saturday against the Sharks and Capital Netball.
The Pearls will also be playing in the Inter-Gulf Netball Championship hosted by the kingdom in April of next year, as well as the Asian Netball Championships 2026, which will be held in August in Hong Kong.
Bahrain’s junior netball team will also be playing in their inter-gulf competition in the first quarter of next year.
Aside from these major competitions, Bahrain’s vibrant netball community will be holding a number of local tournaments. Among these are a Tinsel Tournament for mixed teams on December 6, and a National Day Tournament also for mixed teams on December 9, to name a few.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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